LOOK AHEAD: Committee Announces Hearing Schedule for Week of June 10

WASHINGTON, DC – The House Energy and Commerce Committee today announced its hearing schedule for the week of June 10, 2013. Beginning on Wednesday, the Subcommittee on Health will continue its Medicaid reform efforts, and the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will continue its examination of the satellite television law. On Thursday, the Subcommittee on Energy and Power will welcome new Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz who will testify on the administration's 2014 budget, and the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy will review the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Finally, on Friday, the Subcommittee on Health will begin its hearing series on the current state of America’s prescription drug abuse crisis.

On Wednesday, June 12, the Subcommittee on Health has scheduled a hearing on "The Need for Medicaid Reform: A State Perspective." The hearing builds on the committee’s ongoing efforts to review the program’s current weaknesses and identify reasonable reforms. In March, the committee released a staff report entitled "The Medicaid Check Up: Reasons for Reform" which offers an assessment of whether Medicaid beneficiaries get the appropriate, high-quality care their insured counterparts receive and what an expansion of Medicaid means for the program’s current gaps. More recently, the full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) released the "Making Medicaid Work" blueprint in May which highlights the program’s troubling fiscal reality and discusses tools to equip states to implement patient-centered reforms and impose fiscal discipline in the program. The Majority Memorandum, a witness list, and witness testimony will be available here as they are posted.

Also on Wednesday, June 12, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology has scheduled a hearing on "The Satellite Television Law: Repeal, Reauthorize, or Revise?" This is the subcommittee’s second hearing this Congress on the satellite television law, portions of which are set to sunset on December 31, 2014. This hearing builds on the subcommittee’s February 13, 2013, "Satellite 101" hearing that provided members with a broad overview and history of the satellite television law. In this hearing, members will examine whether the law, which Congress first passed in 1988, still serves an important function or if it is out of step with today’s video marketplace. Additionally, members will discuss whether Congress should repeal the law, reauthorize it as is, or revise it, possibly even tackling non-satellite specific video issues arising from increased competition and evolving technology. The Majority Memorandum, a witness list, and witness testimony will be available here as they are posted.

On Thursday, June 13, the Subcommittee on Energy and Power will hold a hearing on "The Fiscal Year 2014 U.S. Department of Energy Budget." Members will review the president’s budget and discuss the department’s agenda and priorities. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will be the only witness and this will be his first appearance testifying on Capitol Hill since being sworn in as secretary. The Majority Memorandum and witness testimony will be available here as they are posted.

Also on Thursday, June 13, the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy will hold a hearing on "Title I of the Toxic Substances Control Act: Understanding its History and Reviewing its Impact." The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 allows EPA to regulate the manufacture, processing, distribution in commerce, use, and disposal of chemical substances and mixtures. With increased attention being given to TSCA, the subcommittee will focus solely on obtaining a better understanding of this complex statute and its implementation, as well as discuss the law’s impact on jobs, the economy, as well as health and safety. The Majority Memorandum, a witness list, and witness testimony will be available here as they are posted.

On Friday, June 14, the Subcommittee on Health has scheduled a hearing on "Examining the Federal Government’s Response to the Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis." This hearing will be the first in a series on the current state of the nation’s prescription drug abuse crisis. The subcommittee will examine the federal government’s response to the crisis and discuss opportunities to combat the growing scourge of abuse. The Majority Memorandum, a witness list, and witness testimony will be available here as they are posted.

Hearing Details:

Wednesday, June 12
10 a.m.
2322 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Health
Hearing on "The Need for Medicaid Reform: A State Perspective."

Wednesday, June 12
10:30 a.m.
2123 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
Hearing on "The Satellite Television Law: Repeal, Reauthorize, or Revise?"

Thursday, June 13
10 a.m.
2123 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Energy and Power
Hearing on "The Fiscal Year 2014 U.S. Department of Energy Budget"

Thursday, June 13
10:15 a.m.
2322 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy
Hearing on "Title I of the Toxic Substances Control Act: Understanding its History and Reviewing its Impact"

Friday, June 14
9:30 AM
2123 Rayburn House Office Building
Subcommittee on Health Hearing on "Examining the Federal Government’s Response to the Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis"